Smirnoff Crush rolls out convenience exclusive variant
VODKA brand Smirnoff has expanded further on its ready-to-drink range Smirnoff Crush with a new flavour exclusive to the independent retail channel.
Building on the release of the new RTD range, which hit shelves in 2025, parent firm Diageo has rolled out a new Blueberry & Pomegranate variant to the Smirnoff Crush range as an exclusive to the independent convenience channel for a limited time.
The new flavour will be made available to the independent channel ahead of the wider roll-out across major grocers from September 2026.
Smirnoff Crush Blueberry & Pomegranate combines blueberry and pomegranate flavours together with Smirnoff vodka to deliver a bold new addition to the RTD sector to match consumer missions including social occasions, festivals and pre-drink opportunities.
The launch comes as flavour remains the number one purchase driver in RTDs, according to IWSR data. Further to this, Diageo reckons the new flavour will be a popular option with consumers following a Nielsen report covering the year to 16 May which found that berry flavour profiles continue to grow in popularity, driving 64% incremental sales growth year-on-year.
This also follows on from, what Diageo called, the success of the new Smirnoff Crush range which has helped to deliver almost £1.1million in value sales, according to Nielsen data covering 20 September to 21 February.
Smirnoff Crush Blueberry & Pomegranate will be available in 440ml cans with an ABV of 6% and comes with an RRP of £2.99 per can. The wider range consists of a Mango & Peach and Lemon & Lime flavours.
Sara Griffiths, head of marketing for RTD at Diageo, said: “RTDs continue to go from strength to strength in convenience, with the category growing 49%. Smirnoff Crush is playing a key role in the category to build on the particularly strong momentum we’re seeing behind consumer demand for higher-ABV and larger formats as a beer alternative, with higher-ABV RTDs up 71% year-on-year and 440ml formats growing 54%.
“The launch of Smirnoff Crush Blueberry & Pomegranate gives independent retailers a fresh opportunity to drive excitement in-store, tap into growing demand for berry flavours and offer shoppers an exclusive new product.”
